Wednesday, July 12, 2006

Review: Section 8 Mob - Controlled Dangerous Substance

The Section 8 Mob hail from Washington D.C. and for this album the line up consisted of Po, Big E, Vibe and Chow. They came out in 1993 with the 'Then & Now' E.P. which was also released on Solar. After the E.P. release they then dropped this album, followed by 'No Love' in 1995 and then they signed a deal with Tommy Boy Records and dropped the 'Repercussions' single and the 'Guilty by Association' album in 1999. Section 8 Mob then went on to play their part in the release of the 2003 film which was also called 'Guilty by Association'. The movie, which starred Morgan Freeman, was co-written by Po, it also starred various Section 8 Mob members in supporting roles as well as featuring a host of the groups tracks in the soundtrack.

'Controlled Dangerous Substance' has 16 tracks and starts off in the same way many albums do, with an introduction simply labelled as 'Intro' which is just a bunch of shout outs. The album proper commences with weed inspired anthem 'Pass The Blunt'. Each of the Section 8 members and JB of Dirt Nation come through with impressive verses and with a repetative yet fitting hook this track is pretty sick. The short and pretty pointless 'Ghetto Hotline' skit is followed by 'Hustler'. As the title suggests this track is about hustling to make ends meet and then some, another quality effort from the group out of Washington D.C..

'Fuck You Nigga!' upholds the album standard as each of the rappers drop solid rhymes in their own distinct manners. The hook, as with other tracks on this album, is simply a gang of people reciting a repetitive catch cry. 'Murder Cap' has a ragga influenced hook and the rhymes are straight out gangsta, the track is about the murder capital of Washington D.C. The rhymes aren't highly creative but they are easy on the ears none the less, another track with a high level of listenability. 'Hard Or Shake I Need A 8th' is more of an extra-long skit in comparison to a proper track and therefore ruins the flow of the album, really not needed and forces the listener to reach for the skip button.

Thankfully the quality level rises with 'Family Affair', which is a stand out track on this album. The rhymes in this track are all on point and the transition between each of the emcee's rhymes are smoothe and this ensures the flow of the track is of an optimum standard. The only down side to this track filled with dope dealing rhymes is the fact it isn't as long as it could have been, oh well, quality over quantity. 'Only Momma' is a slower paced track dedicated to mothers. Not one of my favourite tracks but it serves its purpose well and shows the more emotional side to these rappers who you could other wise imagine as stone faced killers.

'Files Of A Gangster' sees Po and Chow drop some more laid back rhymes over another slower paced beat, this time reverting back to their gangsta laced rhymes. The theme of gangsterism is maintaned in 'Caught Up In The Section', a track featuring a host of rappers reppin' Section 8. The range of styles each of the rappers bring to the table makes this a mad track, the raw vibe this track has to it also makes it another of my favourites. 'Break Wide' is another sick gangster track, with samples of gunshots and police sirens featuring throughout. The content may be repetative but like with the South Central Cartel and numerous other artists, if something works for you then run with it.

'No Love' is a Po solo track that is significantly more thoughtful in comparison to the majority of the album. Po reflects on relationships, circumstances and the social environment he is surrounded by. Po puts forward the message that he's just a product of his environment, and as it has been noted in the past, this group, as with Ice Cube, choose to call their style reality rap, so this track fits in with that outlook. 'Ketchup On My Hotdog' is a sex track with a specific theme, without beating around the bush I'll just put it bluntly; it is about bangin' bitches while they're bleedin'. 'The Letter' and 'Three Ways Out' are two more respectable tracks that close out the album. The later, a story of coming up slanging drugs in Washington, especially impressed me.

The different rappers flows and styles throughout the album compliment each other well and in general the hooks are pretty cool so there is not much to be critical of. However, I can't ignore the fact that there are a few needless skits on this album that really should have been left out because they just interrupt the albums flow. Overall this is a fairy good album, by no means a classic but one that I chuck on from time to time and worth picking up if you are into gangsta rap and see it around the place.